Potato-bug destroyer.



A. JULIEN.

POTATO BUG DESTROYER.

APPLICAHON FILED OCT. 7. l9l6.

Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

flier? 7 A. IULIEN.

POTATO BUG DESTROYER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7, 1916.

Patented Jan. 30, 1917.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

Aiwiwwa ALBERT JULIEN, 0F COPA-S, MINNESOTA.

POTATO-BUG DESTROYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 32, 1917.

Application filed October 7, 1916. Serial No. 124,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, ALBERT JULIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Copas, in the county of lVashington and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Bug Destroyers, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to machines for gathering and destroying potato bugs.

The invention has for its object to produce a simple and improved machine where by the bugs will be gathered on an endless apron passing beneath a row whereby the bugs will be mashed and destroyed.

A further object of the invention is to produce machine of the class described having revolving brushes whereby the remains of the bugs will be removed from the endless apron or carrier.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and mounting of the revolving rolls whereby the bugs are beaten from the plants.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the general construction of the detailed parts of the machine and the operation thereof.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a top plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The base of the improved machine is formed of a rectangular sheet of metal 15, the front end portion of which is curved upwardly so as to form an arcuate shield 16,

enabling the base to slide readily over the surface of the ground, said shield 16 being properly braced and reinforced and provided with a bracket extension 17 with which a draft attachment, such as a whifiletree 18 is connected. The base member 15 is provided at the sides thereof with upturned flanges 19 which are bent inwardly so as to be disposed at an acute angle with respect to the top face of the base. The latter is provided on its end face with longitudinally disposed runners 20 whereby it is reinforced and also slightly elevated above the surface of the ground so as to protect it from wear. The base member 15 may be provided on the upper face thereof, at suitable intervals, with transverse braces 21, and said base member is also provided at the sides thereof near the front and rear ends with posts or uprights 22, 23. The uprights 23 near the rearward end of the base are provided with vertically adjustable bracket members 24 carrying cross bars 25. On the uprights 22 at the forward end of the base a cross bar 26 is supported for vertical adjustment. Mounted for rotation in suitable hearings on the cross bars 25 and 26 are forwardly divergent shafts 27, each shaft carying a reel composed of radial arms 28 and blades or beaters 29. The uprights 22 and 23 are strongly reinforced by inclined braces 30. The reel carrying shafts are provided at their rearward ends with bevel gears 31 meshing with bevel gears 32 on a shaft 33 which is carried by the bracket members 24. By vertical adjustment of the bracket members 24 on the uprights 23 and of the cross bar 26 on the uprights 22, the reels may be raised or lowered to suit the height and condition of the plants that are to be operated upon.

The base member 15 is provided with rearwardly extending brackets 34 carrying a shaft or axle 35 provided with ground engaging spiked wheels or rollers 36. Motion is transmitted from the axle 35 to the shaft 33 by means of a chain 37.

Supported for rotation near the rear and front ends of the base 15 are rollers 38, 39

over which is guided an endless apron 40.

The front roller 39 is preferably mounted in boxes or bearing members 41 arranged for longitudinal slidable movement and actuated by springs 42, whereby the apron 40 Will be kept under proper tension. Supported for rotation adjacent to the rear roller 38 is a pressure roller 43 which contacts with the top face of the apron 4E0, said roller 4:3 being driven by chains 44: from the axle 35. The rollers 43 and 38 are provided with intermeshing gears whereby the roller 38 will be positively driven. Supported for rotation to the rearward of the roller 38 is a shaft 45 carrying a cylindrical brush 46 that engages the apron as the latter passes beneath the pressure roller 43 for the purpose of cleaning the said apron, the said shaft 45 being driven at a speed exceeding the speed of the apron by relatively small sprocket wheels 47 on said shaft meshing into the transmission chain 4%. Handles L8 are provided whereby the machine may be guided by an operator walking behind the same.

Supported lengthwise of the device, above the base member 15, is a vertically disposed shield or deflector 49, the same being disposed midway between the forwardly divergent reel carrying shafts 27, and said shield being preferably suspended from the crossbars 25, 26. The driving means will be so arranged that the reels will be rotated in r such a manner that their outer portions will move downwardly and inwardly, thus beating or brushing the bugs from the rows of plants between which the machine is guided, and throwing the bugs in the direction of the two sides of the shield 49, causing them to drop on the endless apron whereby they will be carried beneath the pressure roller and mashed and destroyed, the remains being swept from the apron by the revolving brushes. It will be seen that the inclined side flanges 19 of the base member slightly copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

overlap and engage the side edges of the apron, preventing the bugs from falling off at the sides or from dropping beneath the 1 rows, if preferred. It is also obvious that the machine may be made in various dimensions so as to suit varying distances be tween the rows of plants that are to erated upon.-

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

In a potato .bug destroyer, a flat base member adapted to slide over the ground and having upturned side flanges, front and rear rollers journaled in said side flanges, an endless apron guided over the rollers, forwardly diverging reel. carrying shafts supported above the apron, a pressure roller contacting with that portion of the apron which passes over the rearward guide roller, a rotary brush engaging the rearward portion of the apron for cleaning the same, intermeshing gears on the rearward guide roller and on the pressure roller, intermeshing gears on the rearward guide roller and onthe rotary brush, a rotary ground engaging member, and means for transmitting motion from the latter to the rotary brush and to the reel carrying shafts.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT J UIJIEN.

be op- Washington, D. G. V 

